How to update Android without Google?

[noam]

Hi, I have a 6 year old FP2, and I use no google. All apps from FDroid, APKs etc. My phone is still on Android 6. How do I update Android without google (no playstore, no account)?
Thank you.

[urs_lesse]

You will need to determine first if you are on Fairphone OS or on Fairphone Open.
Fairphone Open is Fairphone’s open source OS that comes without any Google services pre-installed. The phone came from the factory with Fairphone OS installed, so your phone only runs Fairphone Open if you or someone else installed it for you after receiving the phone from Fairphone.

You can read more about Fairphone Open here:

https://code.fairphone.com/projects/fp-osos/index.html

I strongly recommend to get more advice here once you have found out if it is Fairphone OS or Fairphone Open that runs on your FP2. The “Updater” (or “Fairphone Updater”) app should tell you which one it is.

[noam]

Hi, it’s Fairphone OS. I never changed the OS.

[urs_lesse]

From what I remember, the upgrade from Android 6 to Android 7 is only possible manually. This means downloading the installation file to the computer, connecting the phone to the computer and then upgrading the phone from the computer.

The process is described in detail here:

FP2. Manually install Fairphone OS

However, make sure that in the second step that depends o your computer’s operating system, you should download and install the Android 7.1 installation file from this article, not the most current one (“Fairphone OS 22.02.0-rel.0”).

Once you have been able to upgrade to Android 7.1, you will probably be able to install the following major upgrade(s) (Android 9, then Android 10) through the Fairphone Updater app.

[noam]

Thank you, I’ll try that and report back.